***Official 2024 Olympics Thread***

[Spark]

I obviously know absolutely nothing about this sport outside the Olympics but this has to be a particularly difficult course, right? The pressure of a gold medal obviously accentuates everything but these are obviously the greatest in the world and most of them looked to be struggling massively at some point in their runs.

 

[Spark]

Having a quick scan through the sports and I think it might even be top. Would get stuck in one of those stoppers and probably never get out.

Yeah I'd capsize in one of those whitewater rapids and immediately drown and/or break my neck.

 

[weeman27bob]

Shows how good the Olympics are when the bronze medallist is like 100x more excited than anyone else

She's been posting quite a lot on TikTok as well and seems to be just loving life at the Olympics

 

[weeman27bob]

I think one of the things that makes the Olympics feel different is how much jeopardy there is in so many of the sports.

There's so many of them where if you mess up once you're out of the hunt for another 4 years.

 

[Molehill]

Yeah I'd capsize in one of those whitewater rapids and immediately drown and/or break my neck.

Yeah, I'd absolutely back myself to last longer on a horse than a canoe in those conditions. And even in the surfing, there's a good chance you just get washed up on the beach. But there's no way out of those stoppers if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[Molehill]

I think one of the things that makes the Olympics feel different is how much jeopardy there is in so many of the sports.

There's so many of them where if you mess up once you're out of the hunt for another 4 years.

That's why Swimming and Gymnastics are a bit annoying. You screw up one and you've probably still got 3 more events to go in many cases.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Shows how good the Olympics are when the bronze medallist is like 100x more excited than anyone else

Check out the Diving. China win and can't celebrate, silver and bronze go mad.

 

[weeman27bob]

That's why Swimming and Gymnastics are a bit annoying. You screw up one and you've probably still got 3 more events to go in many cases.

Swimming, sure.

But in the gymnastics, if you mess up in the qualifying round it might be your team is enough to pull you through into the team final, but then there's no guarantee you make any of the individual apparatus or all-around finals. If you fall off the balance beam in the qualifying for someone like Team GB, it's possible to knock both your team and yourself out of both competitions.

 

[Spark]

I think Fox actually got given a touch penalty posthumously which just goes to show how insanely difficult that course was, when that near-perfect run still had a mistake in it somewhere.

 

[Brook's side]

Does GB & Northern Ireland actually have any athletes from Northern Ireland?

I've heard the commentators this Games emphasise the Northern Ireland dozens of times, but the only athletes I remember from Northern Ireland were representing Ireland.

 

[weeman27bob]

Does GB & Northern Ireland actually have any athletes from Northern Ireland?

I've heard the commentators this Games emphasise the Northern Ireland dozens of times, but the only athletes I remember from Northern Ireland were representing Ireland.

I think there's one in the hockey, three or four in the rowing and then some in the archery

 

[Brook's side]

I think there's one in the hockey, three or four in the rowing and then some in the archery

Thanks.

A bit more info here:

"There are 38 athletes from Northern Ireland competing in the games, 32 for Team Ireland and 6 for Team GB."

GB and Northern Ireland has 327 athletes in total.
Ireland have 134.

Whether that means we should have put more emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit a few years ago, or whether it means putting the emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit is a hollow waste of time, I wouldn't like to say.

Well actually go on then, I would. I think there's too much emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit. Give them a mention some of the time, but still use Team GB which I don't think I've heard used at all these Games.

 

[Furball]

Makes more sense for most Northern Irish athletes to represent Ireland anyway because most sport in Ireland is organised on an all-Ireland basis.

 

[Molehill]

Does GB & Northern Ireland actually have any athletes from Northern Ireland?

I've heard the commentators this Games emphasise the Northern Ireland dozens of times, but the only athletes I remember from Northern Ireland were representing Ireland.

There was one in the gold medal winning rowers today (Hannah Scott).

Tomorrow you’ve got Rory McIlroy representing Ireland.

 

[Ali TT]

If one of the concessions to ensure peace was that athletes could choose either country, I think I'll live with it

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Thanks.

A bit more info here:

"There are 38 athletes from Northern Ireland competing in the games, 32 for Team Ireland and 6 for Team GB."

GB and Northern Ireland has 327 athletes in total.
Ireland have 134.

Whether that means we should have put more emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit a few years ago, or whether it means putting the emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit is a hollow waste of time, I wouldn't like to say.

Well actually go on then, I would. I think there's too much emphasis on the Northern Ireland bit. Give them a mention some of the time, but still use Team GB which I don't think I've heard used at all these Games.

Why not just use "UK"?

 

[Brook's side]

If one of the concessions to ensure peace was that athletes could choose either country, I think I'll live with it

I hadn't realised it was part of the GFA.

That's an interesting one, because it surprises me that it's not up to the sporting authorities in particular sports/competitions who is eligible and who isn't.

 

[Brook's side]

Why not just use "UK"?

Fair point/question.

I suppose it's the last vestige of Empire.

 

[weeman27bob]

Marchand wins the first of his two finals this evening, crowd go wild

 

[Ali TT]

Marchand wins the first of his two finals this evening, crowd go wild

Think they might be renaming the arena after this. Amazing swim